A graphical user interface control for a “Range Slider” is used in applications for specifying a desired range of values within a (greater) given range, such as a specific time interval within a given period of time. The specified range may be subsequently used as an input/trigger for further functionality such as data processing and/or analysis, e.g., obtaining statistical features of given data, or the calculation of some totals. A problem in specifying a desired range of values using a graphical user interface is that the number of possible values in the greater given range of values may exceed the number of accessible positions available on the range slider. For example, in a 500 pixel-wide user interface control for a two-year range, not all 365*2 dates may be accessible. Additionally, the pixel-accurate movement of slider handles via mouse or finger (on touch-based devices) may be a cumbersome task.
Furthermore, a range slider may be hard to control if the slider handles are close to each other, because the different click-sensitive areas can be close to each other. In some instances, the graphical representation of the slider handles may become so close to each other such that they fully or partially overlap. In these instances, it can be both difficult to select a slider handle, as well as selecting a range in the area between the two slider handles.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.